{"id":24,"date":"2017-07-06T02:17:41","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T02:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=24"},"modified":"2017-07-08T02:46:43","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T02:46:43","slug":"chapter-2-taking-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/06\/chapter-2-taking-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Two: Taking Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raizel walked down the hill, past the <\/span>Hoanian house, waving at Younger Hoanian, who was outside with a weaving loom taking advantage of the sun and air. \u00a0She walked past the Ferruna house, where Madam Ferruna waved at her and reminded her to hurry, hurry: Amos Farruna had started the same journey for their (much smaller) family nearly a week ago. <\/span><\/p>\n

Raizel knew exactly when Amos had left for the sneaky good-bye kiss they\u2019d managed halfway up the mountain. \u00a0There was no chance she\u2019d catch up with him, but perhaps he\u2019d linger in Buscontra. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Or perhaps he\u2019d hurry home. \u00a0She would, she knew; she passed Emma Perrenge, throwing pottery on the porch, and blew a kiss, because there was no time for proper good-byes and everyone was watching. \u00a0She and Emma, she and Amos, Amos and Emma\u2026 They had to make it back from Buscontra before she could even have those thoughts, and she had to have enough to her name that either the elders Perrenge or Ferruna would consider such a thing, and that her own elders would consider releasing her. <\/span><\/p>\n

She blew another kiss and hurried down the bottom of Small hill. \u00a0She had a two-day walk before she could reach the train station, and she had a late start on today as it was. <\/span><\/p>\n

She blew another kiss and hurried down the bottom of Small hill. \u00a0She had a two-day walk before she could reach the train station, and she had a late start on today as it was. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYoung crafts-miss. \u00a0Young carver.\u201d \u00a0A hand touched her shoulder, just brief enough to suggest she should stop without actually being rude. \u00a0\u201cOldest of the Ennizaba children, no?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThird-oldest,\u201d she corrected, \u201cbut oldest at home.\u201d \u00a0She turned to look at the man, who knew her look but not her name. \u00a0She had seen him on the edges of town, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou go towards the train station, no? \u00a0To the census-taking, like so many. \u00a0But you\u2019re a smart one, aren\u2019t you, Ennizaba child?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot smart enough to get out of this trip,\u201d Raizel answered, too sharply but not sharply enough to stop the man from talking to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the way, an hour\u2019s walk that way,\u201d the man gestured, not quite \u2018on the way\u2019 but not so far off of the route as to be ridiculous, \u201cthere is a cave. \u00a0It\u2019s one of the low ones, too big for a man of my size, and besides, there are wards the Lady Huleran put on the whole place. \u00a0I cannot get in, but you, clever one, you could get in. \u00a0And in there is a hole, a shallow hole marked by dirt of another color. \u00a0And in there is a box with treasure, treasure and an artifact that I need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure someone else can get it for you\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, but nobody in the town will talk to me, and nobody outside the town can be trusted. \u00a0They all work for the Tzar, you see, and the closer they get to the Tzar, the more they work for him. \u00a0But here, inside the town, everyone thinks that I am mad, because they do not see the way the Tzar affects the rest of the nation, because here we are safe, sheltered by the hills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry for that,\u201d Raizel offered as politely as she could, \u201cbut I really need to get to the train station.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt will take you only a half-day out of your way. \u00a0I will come with you. \u00a0And when you bring it out of the ground, I will give you\u2026\u201d \u00a0He looked like he was considering\u2026 \u201cfifty sed. \u00a0And anything else in the cache that you would like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty sed was a lot of money. \u00a0It was enough to stay in an inn one night \u2014 not a good inn, but an inn \u2014 or three or four nights in a hostel. \u00a0All of that was better than sleeping on the floor. \u00a0\u201cAll right. \u00a0I\u2019ll dig up your artifact.\u201d \u00a0She sighed. \u00a0She could make up the time. \u00a0And fifty sed! <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood, good. \u00a0This way, then. \u00a0Follow me, <\/span>Ennizaba child. \u00a0It\u2019s not that far at all.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raizel walked down the hill, past the Hoanian house, waving at Younger Hoanian, who was outside with a weaving loom taking advantage of the sun and air. \u00a0She walked past the Ferruna house, where Madam Ferruna waved at her and reminded her to hurry, hurry: Amos Farruna had started the same journey for their (much… Continue reading Two: Taking Off<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Continues! Chapter 2: Taking Off","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-o","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/23\/ten-the-perils-of-ones-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":0},"title":"Ten: The Perils of One\u2019s Past","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"She should have thought of it before she agreed, she supposed. \u00a0She might be stepping into some long-held family feud \u2014 their mountain had several of those \u2014 or maybe into the sort of thing where the city wanted to move someone whose home had stood in the same place\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":129,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/02\/16\/thirty-one-whispers\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":1},"title":"Thirty-One: Whispers","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"February 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Raizel watched the conversations move around in circles. \u00a0They were trying to be deferential, but she was a kid by their reckoning (and they weren\u2019t far off), and she wasn\u2019t firm or authoritative enough to make it easy for them. Raven got up after a bit and went wandering, came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/14\/seven-moving-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":2},"title":"Seven: Moving On","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The black-and-blue light danced upwards like a geyser and then seemed to be sucked downwards, towards the books. \u200b\u201dNo!\u201d Trinner Traln shouted. \u00a0Raizel glanced at him just in time to see him jerk away from Esterzon Gorenz and dart towards the idol. The blue-black light seemed to suck him in.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/21\/nine-yederya-wizard\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":3},"title":"Nine: Yederya Wizard","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The woman studied Raizel. \u201cYou have skills I don\u2019t?\u201d \u201cWell, I can\u2019t design a building,\u201d Raizel admitted, \u201cor build one. \u00a0But in the last two days I\u2019ve been dusted by a pixie, blessed by a spectre, and kissed by what might have been a goddess.\u201d \u00a0Also by two whores, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/25\/eleven-the-diamond-raven\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":4},"title":"Eleven: The Diamond Raven","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Esteronzerai was the biggest town Raizel had been in yet, and it was where the carriage\u2019s route diverged from Raizel\u2019s, whether or not she had been stopping to lasso a wizard. \u00a0She bowed to the driver and, her grandfather\u2019s words in her mind, tipped him, although she had not been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":24,"position":5},"title":"Twelve: Watch What You Say","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The man who might or might not b the Diamond Raven struggled, but he couldn\u2019t seem to do anything about the cord around his neck and, rather than have Raizel tug it tighter, he followed her. \u00a0\u201cI have things I should get-\u201d he protested, but she didn\u2019t listen, and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions\/32"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}